savannah_boy

Hi everyone, I have a couple of questions about this:

1-How long should you allow if you are checking in at Dublin?

2- How does it work if you arrive into Dublin via transit and then onward to the USA. How much time do you need and do you go through the same procedure as regular checking in?

3- When you arrive in the USA do you have to collect your hold luggage at all or are you totally a domestic customer and transit is basically off the plane and on to the next one?

Thanks in advance

loubiblu

I've done this several times, as recently as 3 weeks ago.

1. It depends. First time it was about 15 mins. 3 weeks ago it was much busier and although it took less than 30 mins, they were actively moving people through the lines where their flights were close to departure. The security screening and X-ray was very busy and slow too.

2. We've been on Aer Lingus from both Manchester and Newcastle and onwards to the US from Dublin. Bags have gone straight through. It maybe airline dependent. We were advised to bag drop in the UK as early as we could. Think we gave ourselves about 2 hours in Man. Dublin wait was 1hr 45min. You may need to go to the connections desk for your next boarding card if it wasn't issued at your departure airport. It's very streamlined if you're on Aer Lingus

3. Don't know sorry, we landed in the US at our final destination, picked up bags and left. Home within an hour of landing.

savannah_boy

I should have expanded on (1). Do you have to do a regular check in at Dublin and then go to US preclearance. I imagine the time required for all of this is a lot greater? Normal check in for US bound flights is about 3 hours anyway?

loubiblu

We did our check in at the UK airport. Once we landed in Dublin there were additional security checks (bags, X-ray) then onto preclearance. With online check in and bag drop I haven't done a 3 hour check-in for many years.

cjgray87

1 - allow 90 minutes to get through, we used it on Good Friday and the airport was quiet but still took a reasonable amount of time

2 - we flew from Dublin, not sure

3 - domestic customer, we were straight of the plane and free to roam the airport

fsm

Last time I was in transit everything took less than 30 minutes, was surprised though when they scanned my baggage tag and a picture of my bag appeared on screen and I was asked to confirm it was my bag.

I joked with with the agent that it was nice that somebody knew where my bag was, he suggested they would give me the photo as a souvenir if the bag went walk about.

Steve_

Typo in the URL in the video, lol.

LondonSquirrel

US immigration has always been waaay quicker for us in Dublin than any of the other US immigrations in the states itself (Boston, Chicago, Miami and Orlando the ones we've been through). Like one person ahead of us, that quick.

tonrob

But doesn't it depend on when you hit it? While I've been loving global entry for the past year (zero queueing to date) I do notice what's going on in the immigration hall in general. BOS last night - deserted as we deplaned. Non-Global Entry pax would be through in minutes. Time before - rammed - queuing down the corridors. I enter BOS or JFK from LHR roughly once every 3 weeks or so, and the queues fluctuate wildly. Would have thought DUB/SNN might get backed up sometimes given their small scale?

Steve_

But how many US-bound flights are there?

The whole purpose of pre-clearance is to make it faster: https://www.cbp.gov/frontline/frontline-preclearance

tonrob

Pre-clearance isn't always well-executed. Old article (2014), but Etihad's Abu Dhabi Pre-Clearance Is Still A Disaster. I hear it's slightly better now, but still has its moments.

Funnily enough I read more about AUH that DUB and SNN together, so wondered if they always run like clockwork.

Steve_

I have to say it removes a lot of the stress from the flight, knowing you don't have to deal with CBP when you land. Total bedlam on the way back though, I'd never fly again if I didn't have NEXUS.

osgood

Lack of resources threatens US pre-clearance service at Dublin Airport - Independent.ie

Steve_

Well this was the problem getting it in London, they've said they're going to do it again, IIRC pre-clearance operated at Gatwick very briefly, now they're saying it's going to be put in at LHR T5.

You've got to be a US citizen to work for CBP and that was the reason the whole thing imploded last time. Who can afford to live in London on CBP wages?

One of the guys I spoke to at YVR said he lived in the US, couldn't afford to live in Vancouver.

Former Lancastrian

Given the choice of working at Manchester or LHR as a CBP officer I know which one I would choose. I know of one CBP officer at my airport has expressed an interest in Stockholm and Dublin/Shannon.